Music For The Masses: How John Peel Impacted Music of All Kinds
In today’s day and age of streaming platforms, satellite radio and the internet, we can easily look up and find new music at the click of a button or tap of a finger. Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s, there was tape-trading. Where people would record songs off the radio or from other cassette tapes and share among fellow fans of music. Popularized in the thrash and black metal scenes. But before then, how did you get exposed to new music? The old school AM/FM radio either in your house or car. But you weren’t gonna hear heavy or extreme music on terrestrial radio on almost any rock station back then or nowadays. You woulnd’t hear any underground punk or experimental music on your local radio stations either. But one UK disc jockey helped change all that. Exposing his audience in the UK to some famous heavy metal acts, to the extreme side of metal and even the experimental.
That man was John Peel. Starting his radio career in the United States, working at a Dallas radio station and becoming the station’s Beatles correspondent as Beatlemania was beginning to rise in the US. He would return to his home country of England and work at Radio London, an offshore pirate radio station. He began to play mostly music from the underground scene of the UK. Blues, folk, and psychedelic rock while also discussing music related topics. Becoming the most popular DJ on the station in the process before the station closed in 1967. He would join BBC Radio 1 that same year. Adapting to “following the rules” compared to his pirate radio days, Peel had to follow a radio rule that was mandated in the UK. Created by the Musician’s Union and the Phonographic Performance Limited groups, “Needle Time” restricted the amount of recorded music that could be transmitted by the BBC during a 24-hour period. Instead of just having meaningless banter to meet the requirements of the higher-ups, Peel would launch his show Peel Sessions that same year with the band Tomorrow being the first ever band to appear on the show. The premise of the sessions was a band or artist would come in and perform in the BBC studios. With this idea, he could use his platform to not only play by the “rules of radio” but also expose popular or up and coming artists to a huge audience. Though Peel did have very eclectic tastes in music, Peel Sessions had acts like Bob Marley & The Wailers, Pink Floyd, Captain Beefheart, David Bowie, Damned, Joy Division, Black Sabbath, Genesis & Led Zeppelin.
During the 1980’s, metal and many of its spin-off subgenres began to emerge and grow in popularity. Peel had his ear to the ground and invited many of these acts to play on the show. Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror and Unseen Terror, who were big hitters in the rising grindcore scene at the time appeared on Peel’s show. Carcass would also do an episode as well. Peel himself even named Carcass’ debut album Reek of Putrefaction his favorite album of 1988. By the late 80’s and into the nineties, death metal began to also appear on the show. Acts like Bolt Thrower & Obituary appeared on the show, exposing many of the show’s fans to the rising death metal sound coming from the United States.
Experimental acts performed on the show. Industrial metal legends Godflesh appeared on the show in 1989. Playing three songs off of the band’s influential debut album Streetcleaner. Noise rock/experimental metal band Today is The Day performed in 1995, playing an eclectic five song set. Drone legends Sunn O))) would appear on the show, after Peel played the band’s song “Hell-O)))-Ween” from their White2 EP. He would go on to declare the EP as one of his favorite records for August of 2004. Sunn O))) performed the original track ”Candlewolff ov Thee Golden Chalice”, which would later be released as an EP of the same name in 2005.
Besides exposing metal to the masses, Peel was a huge punk fan. Having some of the hugest rising stars from the scene. Acts like Doom, The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Stooges, Screeching Weasel, Bad Religion, U.K. Subs, Cockney Rejects, and countless other punk bands would either appear on the show to perform or would play their music. His love of music helped Peel start the label Dandelion Records. With a focus to get the music he loved to hear onto records so others could share his passion. Though no extreme metal acts were signed to his label, the music was still wide in scope. Ranging from singer/songwriter to orchestral compositions to rock.
When Peel suddenly passed away from a heart attack in 2004, the music industry around the world was hit hard. His legacy, musical taste and range has an impact that spanned decades and impacted thousands of music fans who were inspired by the music he played. The day after his passing, BBC Radio cleared all of its scheduled program to play tribute to him. The Evening Standard newspaper posted the headline “The Day The Music Died” a homage to Don McLean’s hit “American Pie” that also fit the moment so fittingly with the amount of influence and inspiration that Peel delivered in the music scene. Not only in the UK, but internationally with his show.
I HIGHLY recommend you check the BBC page dedicated to Peel Sessions. It is a fascinating thing, especially for a music nerd like myself, to research throughout the years and see the scale of talent and famous acts that Peel helped promote and play on his show. The site also lists how many sessions were done that year, and a detailed set list for each session. Today, Peel was looked back as influential in the scale of music that he not only loved, but wanted the world to hear. His passion for music and his admiration for all types is a true cornerstone in music history. In the history of music critics and influencers, from Dick Clark on American Bandstand, Carson Daly on Total Request Live, Riki Rachtman of Headbangers Ball, Jose Mengin on Sirius XM and Youtuber Anthony Fantano, there will never be another John Peel. I want to end this piece with a quote that truly captures not only his love of music, but something we should look at when it comes to how music affects us and how it makes up this thing called life. Especially with the way the world is currently with all of the hatred & violence that is happening.
Music has the power to bring people together and create a sense of unity in a divided world.
RIP John Peel
1939-2004
